Dr.hist.Rudīte Vīksne Latvian Institute of History University of
LatviaREPRESSIONS AGAINST LATVIAN POPULATION IN
1940/1941 -1944/1945: THE COMMON AND THE DIFFERENT

Although formally the Republic of Latvia existed until 21 July 1940,
various repressions against Latvian population were started right after the occupation of
Latvia in June 1940. They became increasingly intensive after a full annexation of Latvia.
Repressions served to achieve both political and economic goals and manifested themselves
as direct repressions - arrests, administrative deportation as well as indirect ones -
dismissal, reprisals of economic nature, etc. Often it is difficult to find a line of
demarcation between them. Arrests and deportation were carried out along with the
adjustment of state apparatus to meet the requirements of the Soviet system, elimination
of the "Aizsargi" (Latvian paramilitary organisation), sovietisation of the
Latvian army and nationalisation of the large industrial companies and banks, and the land
reform.

To date the total scale of repressions has not been identified yet. This
is a very extensive theme, therefore this paper will address only one type of repressions
-political arrests, as a source using the materials from the archives of former KGB (now
Latvian State Archives, fond No. 1986): the years of 1940/1941 and 1944/1945.

Arrests in 1940/1941

1940 July
141

1940 August
300

1940 September
291

1940 October
507

1940 November
331

1940 December
236

1941 January
258

1941 February
290

1941 March
281

1941 April
288

1941 May
273

1941 June
3991

1941 July
75

The former KGB Archives contain information about 7292 arrested persons,
out of which 263 were women. 184 were arrested during the period from 17 June 1940 to
5August 1940, i.e. untill incorporation of Latvia into the USSR. By the time the Criminal
Code of RSFSR was officially introduced in November 1940, about one and a half thousand
people had been arrested. As the first ones were arrested the representatives of the
previous state power institutions (government members, state officials, police and court
employees, the Aizsargi, border guards, etc.) as well as the members of those
organisations that had contacts abroad and organisations that were regarded as antisoviet.

Arrests were mainly motivated as punishment for those persons who were
fighting against revolutionary movement and the working class. The definition "fought
against revolutionary movement" or "the working class" was applied very
broadly. It was likewise referred to the persons that served in the Latvian army, to the
employees of police and court systems and the Aizsargi. In 1940/1941, besides to
the above motivation, people were often arrested as "members of counterrevolutionary
organisation", "socially dangerous", less often as "anti-Soviet
elements". The denomination "counterrevolutionary" was in particular
frequently used. It was attributed both to the political parties of the Republic of
Latvia, youth organisations, anti-Soviet leaflets and songs.

Arrests in 1944/1945

1944 July
27

1944 August
734

1944 September
705

1944 October
799

1944 November
671

1944 December
625

1945 January
3177

1945 February
3084

1945 March
1074

1945 April
924

1945 May
1777

1945 June
901

1945 July
637

1945 August
707

1945 September
622

1945 October
620

The former KGB Archives contains information about 18.438 arrested
persons, out of which 1413 were women. Repressions formally were directed against the
supporters of German occupants. The most frequently used justification for arresting
people was "supporter or Germans'', which similarly to "fought against
revolutionary movement" was very widely applied. In fact, any person who during the
German occupation lived in Latvia could be denounced as "supporter of Germans"
or "collaborator of German occupants". As the first ones to the reprisals were
subjected the persons who during the German occupation had served in self-defence units,
auxiliary police, police battalions, as well as in the Latvian SS Volunteer Legion and Aizsargi.
Those who took administrative positions during the occupation were likewise subject to
arrests. In many cases people were accused of using the labour of prisoners of war, not
immigrating to the USSR upon the outbreak of the war, or, in case of Jews, of having
survived the German occupation in Latvia.

There was no substantial difference between the repressions of 1940/1941 and 1944/1945,
they both were aimed at consolidation of power and ideology, elimination of the active and
passive resistance, at the same time maintaining the atmosphere of fear.

In most of the investigation cases of primarily importance was seen the
membership or the position taken by a person rather than his committed offence.

In 1940/1941, compared to 1944/1945, the cases of defendants were more
often investigated by the Supreme Court and the Regional Court, less by the Military
Tribunal and the Special Council.

While there were slight differences in applying the RSFSR Criminal Code,
both in 1940/1941 and 1944/1945 people were mainly punished according to clause 58
paragraph (for counterrevolutionary crimes), in 1944/1945 reference was made also to the
USSR SSP Decree of 19April 1943.

In 1944/1945 a defendant person was most often sentenced while being in
a camp.

Both in 1941 and 1945 there were carried out administrative
deportations.